sacredpath | pc: kaworu

[a little after the locations are revealed, shadowheart can be found in the church. she's changed into her camp clothes, and she clearly thinks she's alone. she's got a glass with her that seems like it came from the bar, and she's standing on one of the pews, inspecting one of the axolotl windows up close carefully, running a finger along the glass.

and then she appears to be startled when someone comes in after her.]

Ah, hello! I was just looking for someplace to be alone with my thoughts for a moment.

Isn't the point of going to a church is to hope that someone overhears your prayers?

[He shrugs, hands in his pockets, dressed in his school uniform. He'd ended up here to because he wanted to see the windows. He has little else to consider when it comes to these.]

What were you doing then?

[Why go to a church if not to do... church things.]

Do you think this is truly the afterlife?

[He is skeptical.]

Where I'm from, people often had conflicting views on what happens after death.

[i'm not establishing a location for this, just tossing us into the void, but if you want it to be somewhere specific it may be.]

Well. I certainly can't say I'm surprised.

[but she's still troubled, purple and black smoke patterns starting to blossom across her skin.]

[she'll stick around after trial in the church for a little while, sitting on the pews. she's very exhausted and drawn.]

Well. I certainly hope she's not a violent murderer, after all that.

[Wherever they are, Kaworu is standing dead still, eyes wide and one hand pressing the wall to steady himself. The other hand is frozen in front of his face as if poised to raise to his face. Blood drips out of his nose, rolls down the back of his hand, and splatters onto the floor.

"̵M̵a̵y̴b̴e̴ ̶I̷ ̶w̴a̵s̵ ̶b̶o̷r̴n̶ ̴t̵o̵ ̶m̷e̶e̸t̴ ̵y̸o̶u̵.̸"̷
̸
̸"̵T̸h̸i̶s̴ ̵t̵i̸m̷e̸,̷ ̴I̷ ̸w̶i̷l̸l̴ ̸m̷a̴k̴e̶ ̴y̴o̵u̸ ̷h̸a̸p̴p̴y̵.̶.̶.̴"̷

Words that he never remembers saying flood his memories, tearing up his recollection like typhoon winds.]

There's something wrong with my memories.

[okay well she's a little bit hungover looking but sorry to everyone who doubted her and told her drinking on thursday is a bad idea, i lived, bitch.

where are we, the void? she's here in the void.]

A room to myself at last.

[wait...]

Um, awful joke. I find it hard to believe anyone would have hurt her.

[i'm throwing us right into it. a door opens and they're deposited in the funhouse mirror area.

The funhouse mirrors take you down a path that seems to grow darker as you walk. What is reflected in the mirrors is a hazy landscape, all in grays, with swirling thick darkness that looks like smoke all around. Everything in this land is dead, everything. The ground is cracked and patched. No plants grow here, except for the odd glowing foliage of the underdark, which is adapted to darkness. There are no living animals, but there are beings in the dark. Undead corpses of animals with glowing eyes animated by some evil power, dark shadow shapes, even the corpses of people from time to time, ones who wandered in here and fell.

Other mirrors show flickers of the story of this land. A century ago, this was a thriving and lush landscape ruled over from the nearby castle, Moonrise Towers. There was a market town and many people who lived in the rural areas. But a curse was placed on this land by the goddess Shar. Everyone who once lived here either died or fled, because no life can thrive in the shadows. The shadow curse eats away at anyone who travels through it before they join the armies of undead.

Shadowheart is traveling through this land with her companions, Gale, Karlach, and Astarion. They’re using lanterns to keep the shadows at bay, but in the darker places, even that doesn’t work. But Shadowheart seems less affected by the others.

“The shadow curse… it doesn’t seem to affect me like it does others. Not as badly, at least.” Shadowheart’s voice sounds pleased. “Do you know what this means? Lady Shar is protecting me, while others are left to face her wrath.” She’s touched by this, like this is an unexpected blessing, a protection she didn’t think she’d be granted, but is now taking as proof of something she hadn’t thought she’d ever see proof of. “...She loves me. She must do.”

She notices the others slightly unimpressed, and adds - “Don’t give me that look. It’s a good thing I’m resistant to the shadows. I can help all of you.” And then more to herself - “Lady Shar wouldn’t bless me like this for no reason. There must be something she wants of me.”

The journey leads you deeper into these cursed lands. Despite Shadowheart’s claim of receiving a blessing, this is an awful place, and even she seems to be feeling it. Eventually, they come to a road, and find a destroyed caravan, bodies strewn all over the place. Men, women, children, all horned and colorful people, tieflings, lying murdered in the road, attacked. Though a few were armed, and though one or two of the bandits who killed them lie dead as well, most were refugees, not warriors.

(Memories on the mirrors on the other side of the wall. A party, in a serene grove, at night. A celebration in honor of Shadowheart and her friends. Tieflings drinking, dancing, toasting to them for helping save them and find a safe path to Baldur’s Gate. Many of the dead were among those remembered from the party, though some notable faces are missing.)

The sight is horrible, but the next turn through the mirrors leads to something else. An inn, easily visible through the darkness, as it is shrouded in an enormous bubble of light, blinding and looking like the surface of the moon. Inside the spell of protection, life can thrive and the shadows are banished. And Shadowheart and her friends find most of the remaining survivors of the tiefling caravan there, having been given shelter by the inn’s owner, a cleric named Isobel.

The reunion with the survivors is mixed. It’s a happy thing, that they survived and found shelter, but there’s no way to travel ahead, many of their party were killed, and many more are missing. Some of the children beg them to go find one of their friends who is being held captive; others as after missing loved ones and family members, but there’s no way to guarantee they can be saved or are even still alive.

Shadowheart goes upstairs with the others and meets Isobel. The conversation is brief, and tense, but perhaps there’s more there, if you linger and peer more deeply into the mirrors.

Isobel is at work renewing the ritual that protects this inn. It’s a beautiful thing, like summoning moonlight in her hands and letting it spread out across the area. She turns, and takes the party in.

“I didn’t realize I had an audience.” Her gaze falls on Shadowheart. “And a Sharran one, at that. Frankly, I’m surprised you’re willing to help us. Your kind aren’t known for their decency, particularly when a Sharran curse is our greatest obstacle.” She sighs. “But if you are who I think you are, I’d be a fool to reject your help.”

“I won’t be spoken to like that by a Selǔnite,” Shadowheart snaps back at her.

In an adjacent mirror, the shadow of Moonrise Towers, the enemy occupying it. An obstacle that Shadowheart and her friends must face, and an enemy of Isobel and all of the people taking refuge in this inn. For reasons unknown to you, the man controlling Moonrise Towers wants Isobel brought to him a prisoner, but if Isobel leaves this place, or falls, every last person inside the inn will fall to the shadow curse and die. She needs Shadowheart’s help, but Shadowheart has come here seeking help from her, as well.

“We’ve both got a bitter pill to swallow,” Isobel says, conciliatory. “When this is over, we can spit it back out. But for now, you’ll be needing a protection spell, won’t you?” the woman adds. “I see Shar has offered you protection already, but no harm from some extra. Even from a Selǔnite.”

Shadowheart agrees, and Isobel casts her spell, but as the magic washes over her, she clasps her hand in pain. The feeling of a spell using Selûne’s magic triggers pain from the old wound on her hand, reminding her that making peace this way is not accepted.

“Imagine being compelled to hide a shrine in a land that is utterly hostile to you and your goddess,” Shadowheart says, after they leave Isobel’s chambers. “Utter pig-headedness.”

“Hmm,” Gale says. “Tenacity might be a kinder word for it?”

“I’ll leave the kinder words to the softer hearts,” Shadowheart says.

Even so, without questioning it, Shadowheart and her friends defend the inn when forces from Moonrise Towers attack, keep them from taking Isobel or hurting her, so that Selûne’s protection can remain in place for a little longer.

There are more pathways, leading ahead, all lit by the glow of that protective moonlit spell. A story of a war between two goddesses, one that tends to use the lives of mortals as chess pieces, but more, too, some sort of deeper conflict within Shadowheart, one she doesn’t seem to understand herself. You can explore deeper, but there’s also a way out, back out of the hall of mirrors.

[Slowly... sidling up next to her and just standing there. What do you actually feel Shart? He's curious.]

[looking for him... where is he hanging out after trial. she's not that mobile so hopefully not far.]

[well she is at the corgi train god damn it. the owlbear cub is here too. you would think having a cub that is as big as a large dog but burly with bear claws and a beak would be a bad fit for a bunch of cute dogs, but the cub seems used to dogs; he basically plays with them like he's in a precious documentary about a baby lion cub who was socialized by a domestic dog, like he has dog behaviors and stuff. it's very cute.

shadowheart is also here, petting a couple little corgis.]

Well, slow down, slow down. Don't be jealous, there is enough petting to go around for everyone.

[she seems like, despite everything, she's in a lighter mood. she'll wave at him.]

Hello, Kaworu. Come over here, won't you? There's only one of me, and such great need.

[bad friday. she's hanging around the neighborhood after the announcement.]

...I can't believe it.

[hopital. she's recovering. bandaged up and everything, still bruised to shit. how's kaworu. she would drag herself to go check on him.]

Kaworu?

[after that trial, she will be back at the cat cafe, having a coffee while petting cats. ok.]

...Hey. That was horrible, wasn't it? How are you feeling?

[Just kind of... gently landing by her from somewhere above. Wherever they are in this world that keeps going more and more wrong. One thing that has gone right are his injuries which are now a few bandages on his arm and one his cheek below his eye. The rest has turned to scars.]

So did you actually cheat?

[our beach is back! our beautiful beach. she has showered and changed out of whatever hideous outfit i forced her to be in and is instead wearing something simple and comfortable and sitting out on the beach.]

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